Phone mount strategies

I bought a pinch bracket and used a large washer but your idea is even better.  I need to get me some of those but they need to be really strong magnets I would think.  How are they being installed? 

I put mine at position 2. I also put a cigar lighter underneath it so I could charge it at the same time without trailing a lead across the car.

and I can safely say I’ve never used it! 

I use a suction mounted device on the windscreen slightly right of position 4.  Easy to see and doesn't block my vision.

Mine is in position 4. I have an arm that clamps on the mirror rod.

I have a small 12-volt jack in front of the rod and I modified a charger to plug into it with a short cord.

The arms on the mount are gravity operated.

@IaM-Ray You're probably familiar, but rare earth magnets are insanely strong.  Scary strong.  So strong that you sort of have to be careful while working with them.  If you stop being mindful, 2 will crash together.  That's what happened with this double stack in the photo (notice the others have spacers that they came with, even with these spacers they're hard to peel apart).  I think I may never be able to separate those two...

Speaking of, they will amplify the magnetic force when "in series."  With diminishing returns as you add more.  This is good to know because you could mount 2- or 3-stack behind the fiberglass if you're wanting more force.  The ones I linked come with more than you'll ever need.

It's hard to demonstrate how strong they are, but here's a video with 1 magnet behind the fiberglass.  

In terms of adhesion, I'm not sure.  I may try some double-sided gorilla tape I have for one behind the fiberglass, and one to an extra phone case I'll leave in the car.  Or maybe even better is a low profile pincher phone mount is connected to the outer magnet. Like these but with the back part flat.

I use a phone mount that slips into my cd player slot and then clamps in securely.  Very sturdy, no jiggles and just below windshield level.  It comes from iOttie. 

One thing I learned about magnets recently is that they can lose their magnetism with heat.

I was using a magnet from a hard drive to hold two small parts together while I silver soldered them together.  When I heated them the magnet stopped working.

@Sean Seena posted:

@IaM-Ray You're probably familiar, but rare earth magnets are insanely strong.  Scary strong.  So strong that you sort of have to be careful while working with them.  If you stop being mindful, 2 will crash together.  That's what happened with this double stack in the photo (notice the others have spacers that they came with, even with these spacers they're hard to peel apart).  I think I may never be able to separate those two...

Speaking of, they will amplify the magnetic force when "in series."  With diminishing returns as you add more.  This is good to know because you could mount 2- or 3-stack behind the fiberglass if you're wanting more force.  The ones I linked come with more than you'll ever need.

It's hard to demonstrate how strong they are, but here's a video with 1 magnet behind the fiberglass.  

In terms of adhesion, I'm not sure.  I may try some double-sided gorilla tape I have for one behind the fiberglass, and one to an extra phone case I'll leave in the car.  Or maybe even better is a low profile pincher phone mount is connected to the outer magnet. Like these but with the back part flat.

Couldn't you just use a small piece of metal attached to the phone case so there is only one magnet in this equation? Similar to a Scosche Magic Mount pad?

@Robert M posted:

Couldn't you just use a small piece of metal attached to the phone case so there is only one magnet in this equation? Similar to a Scosche Magic Mount pad?

I think there wouldn't be enough magnetic force through that distance, I think you'd need a magnet on both sides both fighting to be reunited.  

Unless, you were to put a bunch in series like I was mentioning before, such that the force from that side is so strong that it would pull in the metal Star Destroyer tractor beam style.  One caveat is that anything magnetic would then be drawn to there, which probably isn't a big deal.

Why have a phone mount? The phone always gets in the way of the fun.

IF you have a glue on the back on in your case metal disk, it will adhere to a magnet but it will need the magnet to be closer and may not be able to hold through the case. 

If you have a magnet in your case would that affect the phone ?

Not my best photos because the garage was dark, but I use a suction-cup arm with a magnet on the phone end, coupled with a bit of sheet metal sandwiched between the back of the phone and its protective case. The cup is attached to the windshield glass and the arm is positioned so the phone is supported on one end by the magnet, while the other end rests on the dash trim. This puts it at a good angle for viewing, and high enough that I don't have to take my eyes off the road to read the GPS while driving. 

@Eric (McGruff) @Lane Anderson @Michael McKelvey If I was a smart man I'd just do what you're doing, but apparently I like to make things more complicated than they need to be.  Actually, that would work assuming the suction cup can be easily applied and removed frequently?  Ultimately, I wanted a hidden mechanism to not take away from the 50/60's feel of the car.  Maybe I can convince myself to settle for the mechanism being mounted only those times when need be.

Michael, interesting point about heat's effects on magnetism.  This is such a bizarre universe.  I *believe* that's why all those heavy duty magnets used in particle accelerators are kept cold, to go in the other direction and strengthen their magnetic fields...  Don't ask me more on the topic because it'll accelerate how particle-rly little I know

@IaM-Ray I'm not sure if I understood your first question, but I *think* magnets don't affect the phone.  Meanwhile, I've never tried having a magnet near it for a long duration.  I was surprised to find that it didn't affect its compass/direction reading, it seems it doesn't rely on earth's magnetic field like a classic compass, perhaps it pulls this from the GPS functionality somehow??  Either way, that's good news because you can go airplane mode (or reception-poor area) and still rely on a downloaded map + GPS which functions based on satellites regardless of cellular tower reception.

This is kind of what I meant earlier, where there's a magnet on the back.  But I also remembered I have one of these Perchmounts, although it's not angled quite right.  Could ignore its own built in magnet and attach one to the back of the curved bracket part.

One method I used involved a suction cup mount that had an arm that pivoted and extended.  I zip-tied to the underside of the 2" tube behind the dash.  Then I could rotate it out when I wanted to mount the phone and fold it back, mostly out of sight when I didn't want to see the phone.  It was also easy to plug into 12 volts in that location.

I changed to what I have now to  put the phone more in my line of sight.

@Sean Seena posted:

@Eric (McGruff) @Lane Anderson @Michael McKelvey Actually, that would work assuming the suction cup can be easily applied and removed frequently?  Ultimately, I wanted a hidden mechanism to not take away from the 50/60's feel of the car.  

Sean,

This eBay listing is similar to the mount I have. It can be removed when desired, but I got used to it being there and quit doing so. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magne...3:g:5~QAAOSwoMhfN2Ce 

I use magnet mounts in every vehicle I own. They work great and don't interfere in any way with the compass, which works off GPS, not the earth's magnetic field.  

Eric

I just glued a strip of Velcro hooks on the back of my small phone.....   Slap it on some carpet and GO.....

Circling back with my solution: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oky5...ount%20Demo.MOV?dl=0 (Sorry for the Dropbox link that'll probably disappear some day, forum direct video uploads kept erroring out, feel free to ask me for the video if it ever disappears...)

I used Gorilla Heavy Duty Double Sided Mounting Tape (the 30lb and while they have a 60lb version I think that's probably overkill) to stick one rare earth magnet (the ones I discussed earlier in this thread) behind the dash, right against the fiberglass body.  Sorry I didn't snap a photo of it and it's difficult to access because I did an upholstery project under the dash to hide away everything (I should probably post about that too, I'm surprised how well it came out especially considering it was me who did it).

In my case, I only needed one magnet behind the dash.  But I decided to glue a single magnet in two different locations while I was back there, so that I'd have phone mount position options.

Then, using the same double-sided tape, I glued a third magnet to the Perchmount I mentioned earlier.  Voila!  Done.  Obviously I couldn't demo my phone while mounted because I was using it to record, but trust me it easily holds up the weight.  

So I can now mount at position 5A and 5B (in my OP).  It wasn't my intention, but it also mounts to some metal at position 1.  I should've also demonstrated that the magnet mounts easily to the tunnel (stickshift / handbrake area), in case you wanted it out of the way.

I finally found the post where I picked up this idea in the first place, thanks to @James Garrett.  My slight modification is incorporating the Perchmount with double-sided tape so that I don't have to have a magnet on my phone case all the time.  Or a 2nd case in the car with a magnet on it dedicated to this purpose.  Instead, just pop my phone into the Perchmount and Bob's your uncle.

Hmmm now I'm wondering what else I can leverage those magnets to mount there.  I always liked the idea of clocks and/or stopwatches in those old school pocket watch forms...

Looks like you worked through the problem pretty well. I do hope it stays attached if/when you hit a rough patch of road. Please report back with the “Road Test Results”.

@Robert M posted:

Looks like you worked through the problem pretty well. I do hope it stays attached if/when you hit a rough patch of road. Please report back with the “Road Test Results”.

I have to say, I've driven with it a fair amount and at all speeds/conditions that I'm ever going to, and I'm myself kind of surprised how sturdy it is.  Barring deploying out the back of a cargo plane in a Fast & the Furious maneuver, I'm pretty sure it's going no where.

But if someone wants it at military spec, they could affix 2-3 magnets back-to-back behind the dash (which would amplify the magnetic force as discussed earlier in the thread).  I guess you could do that on the phone holder side too but that might be double overkill.

Further, one could use the 60lb-rated gorilla tape or some other strong adhesive, but I think even the 30lb is more than enough.

Quick update here, I came across the FREAKMOUNT product (www.freakmount.com).  It's basically the phone holder side of my design, but without the car-side magnets because this is intended to stick to a motorcycle gas tank that's already magnetic.  So if one buys this, part of the project is done and perhaps it has a preferable look to some?

I like Leon's idea. This with some sort of Bluetooth tooth speakers, this way you can hear GPS directions. 

@Marty Grzynkowicz. Real men don’t NEED directions…..

never need directions, if I dont know exactly where Im headed I dont go till I do..

I fabricated a phone mount from some 1/2" steel tube. I bolted it under the dash, a simple exhaust clamp around the 1.5" frame worked simply and neatly.

I heated the tubing and made a nice curve to a small flat plate upon which a plastic squeeze-type phone clamp bolted. It worked really well, sitting under the dash edge and near the shifter, accessible but not in the way. It just didn't look like it belonged there. So now it sits in a box on a shelf.

Instead I ran a couple USB-C cables that sit in front of each seat for charging duty. The cables are totally hidden. If I charge my phone, it stays right there, blocked in by the frame, seat, and cockpit bulkhead. I think this is far more in keeping with the car's character.

Yeah, I have a hidden amp, speakers under the dash, and hidden bluetooth receiver. So you can hear modernity if you'd like, but you can't see it.

With a clean windshield RAM mounts never fail. And with a single turn they are gone. And you can just use ear pods to stream Bluetooth music or GPS directions. And I have USB ports for a constant charge on the phone.

Wanting The stuff hidden as much as possible is why I still don’t have a phone mount mounted either, so the challenge is to try to hide stuff in keeping with keeping the car clean of modern stuff so to speak .

I installed a radio back before all this Bluetooth streaming stuff came along.

I too wanted to keep stuff hidden. The radio control unit is mounted on rails. It hides behind the dash and drops down when I press against the bottom.  There is also a small round control I can stick to the carpet with velcro.

Speakers are flat panels under the dash.

At one point I had a phone mount that folded back under the dash but I wanted to have my phone more in my line of sight.  So, I now have this mount attached to the windshield rod.  It does wireless charging.  I have a 12v jack near the base of the rod to connect to the mount.

Earbuds are not a possibility for my wife, @550 Phil otherwise, that's what I would have done.

These are all great, I love some of these hidden strategies.  I should also note that majority of my driving is done with the phone in my pocket and the mount stowed away, I only set it up there when it's needed.  But if you rely on it frequently, then one of the hidden solutions is better.

I think it might be a California thing but you can't drive with earbuds, or at least in both ears.  

I have the chrome face version of the Custom Autosound USA4 (https://customautosoundmfg.com...rsal-radios/usa-4din), there are competitor products that look more period correct than this, but this was more convenient because of the DIN shape, features, and price.  The deck that was in there was an eyesore, but now this seems to pass the laymen observer test.  

@DannyP posted:

Earbuds are not a possibility for my wife, @550 Phil otherwise, that's what I would have done.

My wife refuses to get in the Spyder. She loved my IM Conv D. It’s one reason I’m building another Conv D. Honestly I know all the roads around Charlottesville like the back of my hand. And I love to hear my engine rip. So I rarely have anything mounted to the windshield and no pods in my ears.
Conv D will be a different story.  Subaru. Liquid heated, A/C and hidden Bluetooth stereo. Still thinking about a 356C SC with that liquid cooled 911 engine. Honestly my build will be started after Joel’s build begins but I bet my Conv D will be finished before Joel’s car. R&D is a bitch.

The only thing i use the phone when I'm driving my Speedster is GPS. The car is too loud to hear directions, so I've gotten good at following it visually. I rarely run the radio either, I prefer listening to the sweet song of my little 1776 as I wind along the backroads.

I use my phone for GPS in the Speedster but in bright sun the screen is hard to see.

I have an old Pebble smartwatch I paid $18 for.  It's screen is easy to see in the sun and it has an app that links to Google Maps.  It shows the next turn coming up and vibrates as I get close.

Michael, that is certainly a big drawback I noticed in a topless car: brightness and glare.

Put your phone mounted under the dash to eliminate glare and it's too far from your eyeline. Put it up on the dash and well, good luck seeing the screen.

I can also hear the directions on my sound system if I turn the volume up, even with my A1 exhaust.

Years ago I bought a clip/clip phone holder for the MG TD. It has a big clothespin style spring clip (with rubber edges) to grab the dash, then a swivel thing and then a smaller spring clip to grab the phone. I clip it to the underlip of the dash and clip the phone in for navigation duties. Then I unclip and stow it under the seat when I get to my destination. It now travels between the MG and the Spyder.

I was going to put a link to it here but searching online I can't find anything like it. This is closest I came across, though there's a guitar-head clip that's also in the ballpark.

I think the word you might be searching for is capon, @edsnova

No, it's not a capon, Danny. It's a clip-this-phone-to-your-guitar thing.

You guys are getting out there.  Lots of difference between a capon and a capo.  One's for guitars, the other's for Sunday dinner.